7K) 



FARMERS' REGISTER— SEASON— FLORIDA COFFEE— MARL. 



logetlier in making- corn, then indeed I must give 

 iiir"iliat nolliing but the agency oi" steam" can 

 compete willi him. 



PAMUNKY. 



THE SEASON AND V/EATHER. 



Since the commencement of the year, there has been 

 an unusually large proportion of rain and snow, and 

 still more of severe cold vveatlier: and the season, to 

 the 24th of March, has been not more remarkable for 

 our latitude, than it has been unfavorable to the farm- 

 er's operations and prospects. Besides that the almost 

 continued wetness of the earth caused it generally to 

 be unfit for ploughing, even when not frozen, there 

 have been four spells of cold, each of which, if alone, 

 might have been considered remarkably severe. The 

 first and longest of these was early in January. Of 

 this we have as yet no accurate report of observations 

 by the thermometer— but believe that the cold was 

 not as severe in Lower Virginia, for its latitude and 

 elevation, as elstwhire. At Washington City, the 

 lowest temperature was 16 degrees below 0, and at 

 several places in the state of New York and New 

 England, it was 40 degrees below 0. The weather 

 here on February the 8th, was supposed by many to be 

 the coldest ever felt— and it certainly appeared so, 

 owing to the sudden change from a mild preceding 

 day, and the violence of the cold wind. But in fact 

 the thermometer (at Shellbanks) was but a little below 

 0, and was still lower the next morning, when it stood 

 at 2 degrees below 0. On March the 1st, the mercury 

 was as low as 5 degrees below — and after some warm 

 weather, another change to cold took place on the 2.3rd, 

 and on the 24th the thermometer was at 28 degrees. 

 On that day, tlie weather again became more suitable 

 to the time of year. 



In consequence of this state of tlie weather, the 

 ploughing for corn has been unusually late — and it may 

 be inferred, that much of it has been imperfectly or 

 improperly done, owing to the general wet state of the 

 earth. The wheat has suiTered severely, and much of 

 it is killed. The clover sowing of those farmers who 

 harrow wheat land for that purpose, has also been 

 very late — ^but the plants will probably not, therefore, 

 fare worse than those from seed sown early — as the 

 sprouting of these was either retai-ded as long by the 

 cold — or if sprouted, may have been killed. More or 

 less injury will be inevitable every where, from the 

 past season to all these crops — varying in extent, ac- 

 cording to the irature of the soils, und their greater 

 or less liability to sutler from wet and cold. 



Vegetation has been so long kept dormant, that it 

 might have been supposed there was now but little 

 danger of the most early or tender blossoms being des- 

 troyed by future frosts; ami, therefore, tiiat a plentiful 

 frtiit year miglit be anticipated. But if the following 

 statement may be relied on, it seems that the severity 

 of cold has destroyed, instead of serving to protect the 

 germs of early fruit. 



The lovers of good fruit will be very sorry to 

 learn, that the prosi)ecl of a peach crop this year, 

 has been utterly blasted by the extraordinary se- 

 verity of the past winter. Upon examination, the 

 vitality of the bud, we are informed, ia destroyed, 

 and there wdl consequently be no bloom. The 



same is the case probably with the apricot, and 

 others of the least hardy kind. We understand, 

 also, tliat considerable injury was done to the 

 wheat by the intense frosts of February, when it 

 was unprotected by any covering of snow. Onr 

 climate surely is not ameliorating, as has been ge- 

 nerally supposed. — F'rederisksburg Herald, 



"FLORIDA coffee" OKRA. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Your February number contains another exam- 

 ple of the uncertainty of the common names of 

 plants. A gentleman in East Florida speaks of 

 his cultivating a plant which he calls Florida cof- 

 fee. He says it is an annual plant, &;c. Now, it 

 must be evident, this is not a s|;ecics of coffee, but 

 some other plant, of a very ditferent nature. The 

 coffee plant is a shrub which bears its fruit in the 

 form of a berry, and the grains used in commerce 

 are obtained ti'om the berries. The plant spoken 

 of above, appears to bear its fruit in the form of a 

 pod or legume. It would be desirable, therefore, 

 to know something more of this plant than we can 

 know by the name thus given it. * * * * 



February 23. 

 To resume a subject which I mentioned in my 

 last, I now suspect that the plant which the gen- 

 tleman in East Florida calls "Florida coffee" is 

 the okra-plant (Hibiscus esciilentiis,) frequently 

 cultivated in the gardens of the southern states, 

 and which (as Mr. Nutall says) will ripen its 

 seeds as far north as Pennsylvania. The unripe 

 capsules (or seed vessels) of this plant, when 

 boiled, afford a delicious article of diet. It is also 

 a good ingredient in most of our soups, and con- 

 stiUites (I believe) a principal one in the famous 

 gumho of the Creole French and Spanish of Lou- 

 isiana and Florida. I have heard that the ripe 

 seeds make one of the best substitutes for coffee, 

 but the plant itself is much more nearly related to 

 cotton than to coffee. Its flower, which is beau- 

 tiful, very much resembles that of the sea island 

 cotton. It is a native of the eastern continent, 

 and if it grows wild in any part of America, it 

 must have been natura!i:i^ed. I have seen it, in 

 Middle Florida, spring spontaneously from the 

 seeds of the preceding year. 



II. B. CROOM. 



From the Farmer and Gardener. 

 INCREASED PRICE OF LAND CAUSED BY MARL. 



A firm near Monmouth in New Jersey, which 

 was purchased a few years ago for about two dol- 

 lars an acre, recently sold for thirty. This ex- 

 traordinary increase of value has been produced 

 by the effect of marl upon the soil. From this, 

 many of oar fellow-citizens in the country can 

 infer what treasures they possess, either on their 

 own lands, or within reach of them. Land owners 

 throughout Maryland, are greatly indebted to the 

 legislature for providing for a full geological ex- 

 amination of every county in it. 



THEFTS COMMITTED ON THE MAILS. 



The editor of the Southern Religious Telegraph has 

 recentl}^ published a list of letters directed to him, 

 containing money, which had been stolen in passing 

 through the mails. We could state as many losses of 



